I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[010] Monster Combat
The leisurely atmosphere shattered in an instant.
“Battle stations! Merchants, get inside the carriages and stay down!!”
“Vanguard, move forward and protect them! Archers, provide covering fire from the rear!”
The Mercenaries snapped into formation with practiced efficiency, weapons drawn and ready.
Even if they were inexperienced, these were professionals who lived by the blade—their situational awareness was sharp.
I drew my cutlass with a cold, calculating gaze fixed on the horde of monsters charging down the hillside.
Ding―!
「Sudden monster incursions are always a threat!」
「The merchants are panicking! The [Chaos] skill temporarily increases agility by 1!」
‘There are quite a few of them….’
A mixed horde of Kobolds and Lesser Rats.
Roughly forty in total. No other monsters visible.
The numbers were substantial, but their quality was low—we could repel them without significant casualties.
After facing the Death Knight and those massive sea creatures, there was no real sense of dread.
And for monsters of this caliber….
“…Malton, would it be possible for me to fight alongside you?”
“You as well?”
Malton regarded me with a contemplative expression.
Technically, he was my bodyguard and I was the client.
If I were injured, it would damage his reputation and potentially result in a penalty from the Adventurer’s Guild for quest failure.
Normally, it would be reasonable to refuse….
“…Kobolds are small creatures. Don’t overextend yourself trying to cleave through them—use the reach of your cutlass to subdue them methodically. Lesser Rats are manageable if you watch out for their sharp claws and teeth. Still, they’re nimble, so stay alert.”
“Thank you.”
I smiled and drew my blade.
Another reason I appreciated Malton.
Unlike the rigid elves I’d encountered, he possessed genuine flexibility.
I watched the approaching monsters with gratitude in my heart.
Since escaping the Ghost Ship Fleet, my current level was 7.
Adult Kobolds averaged around level 6, and Lesser Rats were lower still—even as a novice, I could handle them with care.
‘I can’t afford to waste such a golden opportunity to level up.’
After assessing the situation, I stepped forward, and bewildered voices erupted from the surrounding Mercenaries.
“W-wait! What’s that person doing? Weren’t they supposed to take shelter in the carriage?!”
“Surely they’re not planning to fight?”
I let their cries pass through one ear and lifted the corners of my mouth into a smile.
I could stand my ground and let the monsters come to me, but that would squander this precious opportunity.
In Belheim, where required experience grows exponentially with each level, reaching level 30 within the deadline was worth its weight in gold—this situation was exactly that chance.
And to eliminate as many monsters as possible, I needed to catch the Mercenaries off-guard and trigger my [Chaos] skill.
For instance….
“Follow me!!!”
“The Mercenaries are terrified!”
“If the client dies during a mission, the Guild will impose severe penalties!”
“[Chaos] increases your agility!”
“Grab that bastard!!”
“Kahahaha!!”
I laughed as I charged toward the monsters, and I could feel the startled Mercenaries rushing to follow behind me.
The Mercenaries shouted something from behind, but the more they did, the faster I accelerated.
And finally, as I sprinted down the Hill and collided with the Kobold―
A single flash.
I swung the blade I’d raised to middle guard, cleaving through the Kobold’s skull.
Crimson blood sprayed along the blade, drawing a scarlet arc across the sky, and the severed head tumbled across the Grassland.
A flawless preemptive strike.
As the metallic scent of blood tickled my nostrils, the notification updated.
“You’ve claimed the Kobold’s life in a single stroke!”
“The Mercenaries are astounded! Your movements, enhanced by the [Chaos] skill, are far too agile to be those of a beginner!”
“Your strength temporarily increases by 2.”
I quickly reset my stance to prepare a follow-up attack, and I spotted a Lesser Rat crouched low, readying its own assault.
The Lesser Rat’s bite force was weak, and its grip strength was pathetic.
As a creature without the intellect to cast magic, its fangs and claws were its only means of attack.
Then the action it would take now was―
‘It jumps and attacks.’
In an instant, the Lesser Rat kicked off the ground and leaped toward me.
The Lesser Rat’s signature attack pattern―one I’d witnessed hundreds, no, thousands of times while gaming.
The moment I recognized it, I was already moving.
―Kyieeeeeek!!!
The Lesser Rat’s severed right arm hung suspended in the air.
A clean upward slash from low to high.
Without pausing, I twisted my wrist and severed the Lesser Rat’s lifeline.
As the sharp curved blade tore through its throat, a piercing sensation transmitted through the hilt into my hands.
“You’ve defeated the Kobold!”
“You’ve defeated the Lesser Rat!”
“The Adventurers who witnessed your response are amazed. Your Luck increases by 1!”
‘Excellent…! This works!’
I quickly shook off the corpse and raised my head.
The swordsmanship I’d learned for human-to-human combat was proving effective against monsters too. That was good news.
Suppressing my thundering heartbeat as I surveyed the front, I saw two more Kobolds charging toward me.
This time too, I was already moving.
‘I can’t hesitate.’
The fundamental principle of one-versus-many combat is to keep moving relentlessly and never expose your back.
One of the most critical things to watch for when fighting in Belheim is being surrounded by enemies.
An attack from behind could cost even a seasoned swordsman his life in an instant.
Without realizing it, I had begun projecting myself onto the warrior character I’d played in Belheim, acting accordingly.
What would my in-game self have done in this moment?
“Haaaaaah―!!”
Before the monsters could complete their encirclement, I burst toward the one on my right and swung my blade with explosive force.
With power behind the strike, the Kobold’s thigh was severed clean.
As the creature shrieked in agony and thrashed about, I drove my blade into its neck to silence it, then rushed toward the remaining Kobold.
The Kobold lashed out with its claws with surprising speed, but exactly as I’d anticipated―.
I smoothly evaded its attack and, leveraging the cutlass’s extended reach, pierced through its chest.
Driving the hilt forward to shatter its ribs, warm blood sprayed upward, drenching my cheek.
As if waiting for this moment, a Lesser Rat lunged from the side―.
―Crack, crack, crack…!!
In that instant, I withdrew my blade and pivoted in a single fluid motion, creating distance between us.
A footwork technique my character had favored—a hybrid of jumping and stepping.
I retreated beyond the line of attack, then surged forward to seize the Lesser Rat by the throat as it stared up at me with eyes wide in terror.
I slammed it to the ground and brought my blade down.
Ignoring the level-up notifications that flickered before me, I continued my slaughter until a one-sided battlefield came into view.
Kobolds and Lesser Rats being kicked by the mercenaries’ feet, their breath extinguished.
The monsters that had charged forward so boldly were swiftly eliminated.
These were mercenaries hired for coin, after all—they wouldn’t struggle against mere low-tier creatures like Kobolds or Lesser Rats.
But the most striking among them was undoubtedly Malton, who was crushing a Kobold’s skull with his heavy mace.
As I watched quietly, Malton—who had single-handedly dispatched nearly half the Kobolds—wiped the blood from his blonde hair and spoke.
“Phew… what a gruesome sight. Blood is such a nuisance when it gets on you.”
“Thank you for your effort. I’m grateful you allowed me to participate in the battle.”
“It’s nothing. To be honest, I was a bit worried, but you fought far better than expected. I’d believe it if you told me you were already a seasoned swordsman. If you don’t mind my asking, may I inquire about your level?”
“My level?”
“You don’t have to answer if you’d rather not. Asking about someone’s level upon first meeting is rather impolite, after all. It’s just that for someone claiming to be an aspiring adventurer, your swordsmanship shows considerable experience, and I’m simply curious.”
I watched Malton speak with a gentle smile and chuckled inwardly.
I wondered what his reaction would be if he learned that I’d fought alongside him against the Evil God Cult itself.
‘Still, I wonder if I should be honest about my level…?’
The concept of levels was widely known among the residents of Belheim.
It seemed to be understood as something akin to divine blessing bestowed upon warriors who defeated many monsters.
Unlike players who could check their level intuitively through an information window, the residents of Belheim apparently had to use special tools at temples to verify theirs.
“…It’s 7. Since I was close to the next level, this battle may have pushed me to 8.”
“Oh…! Yet you move with such agility…?! Truly remarkable! You may well have the makings of a true warrior!”
“….”
Well, I’d hunted Kobolds and Lesser Rats ad nauseam in the game.
And with the stat bonuses from the runes and the enhanced abilities from [Chaos], I had confidence I could overwhelm them.
Though my heart still raced when risking my life in combat against monsters, if I actively utilized the knowledge I’d accumulated over ten years of playing Belheim, I could survive in this world.
I quietly bowed my head, offering my thanks to Malton for permitting me to participate in this battle.
Though I did act a bit impulsively, the way he laughed it off so casually made it clear I’d left a favorable impression on him through this skirmish.
Once the situation had largely settled, the merchants who’d taken refuge inside the carriage began creeping back out.
“Is… is it over?”
“Phew… that gave me quite a fright. To think monsters would attack us out of nowhere in broad daylight like that…”
“Ahem, ahem—my thanks to all of you! On behalf of the Merchant Caravan, I, Amur, wish to express my gratitude for your valiant defense! Bring me the materials from the monsters you’ve each slain, and I’ll purchase them at fair market price!”
It was customary for the Merchant Caravan that hired escorts to purchase the materials from monsters slain during the job.
‘Let’s see… from the Kobolds and Lesser Rats, the fangs and pelts were the parts worth anything, weren’t they…?’
I made my way toward the monsters I’d brought down.
Belheim is an ultra-realistic game.
When you hunt a monster, the corpse doesn’t vanish leaving only items behind, nor do monsters conveniently drop crystalline magic stones.
If you wanted to earn money from monster hunting, you had to painstakingly butcher each carcass and extract the valuable materials to sell them where they’d fetch the best price.
Because of this, you’d sometimes defeat powerful monsters only to find yourself breaking even on potions and herbs, walking away with nothing.
This is why Belheim is such a terrible game!
‘Ugh… this is making my stomach turn.’
I crouched down in the field and began the gruesome work of butchering the Kobold and Lesser Rat I’d caught.
Rummaging through monster corpses for money made it painfully real that I’d truly come to another world.
I also finally understood why low-level characters in Belheim would occasionally vomit during monster butchering.
The deeper I drove the blade, the more the acrid stench of exposed entrails wafted up.
The foul reek of secretions from blood-soaked musk glands, the tepid warmth of their bodies, the distinctive bestial odor.
As I struggled with my cutlass—ill-suited for butchering—to peel away the matted fur, sweat streamed down my face despite the cool weather.
‘I need to buy a proper skinning knife as soon as we reach the city…’
Now I understood why large parties hired professional butchers.
But the moment I stood up holding the tattered pelt and the Kobold’s fangs, an unsettling feeling suddenly washed over me.
‘But… why were Lesser Rats and Kobolds together in the same pack?’
“Is something the matter? Your complexion looks troubled.”
“Well… it’s just…”
I spoke quietly.
“It’s actually quite rare for Kobolds and Lesser Rats to form packs together. Normally, Kobolds hunt and eat Lesser Rats. And both are naturally cowardly monsters—the fact that they’d charge at so many people is very strange…”
“So you weren’t the only one who found this odd.”
Kobolds and Lesser Rats ranked at the very bottom of the monster ecosystem, characterized by their caution and timidity.
The moment they sensed human presence, they’d flee in panic—they weren’t the type to charge like this.
And it couldn’t be explained away as a territorial defense either…
‘Kobolds and Lesser Rats primarily inhabit dark, damp caves and forests, don’t they?’
They certainly weren’t monsters you’d encounter in large numbers in open grassland like this.
Could there be some reason for it?
Some reason that would draw them to this place…?
As I pondered the cause behind the monsters’ abnormal behavior, I sensed someone approaching from ahead with heavy, purposeful strides.
‘That person was definitely the commander leading those mercenaries.’
What could they want with me?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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